Tuesday, September 19, 2006

so, in the lab I do a lot of work in something called a walk-in hood. if you don't know what a hood is, then look here if you're curious. anyhoo, I usually open the top half to do my work and leave the bottom part of the sash pulled down. I'm not doing anything terribly dangerous, but ammonia and hcl are involved, along with some metals solutions, so it's in the hood.

4.5 feet away, behind me when I'm working in the hood, you'll see the lab bench. I measured. When I'm working in the hood I probably take up ~1 foot, making that distance 3.5 feet. And when the rolling chair is behind me at the lab bench, I'm guessing there's about 1.5-2.0 feet of clearance between me and the chair.

yet, despite this terribly small space, people insist on walking between the chair and me to get to the door. now, I guess I see why. it's the shortest distance between two points--the rest of the path and the doorway. and it does take an additional six-to-nine steps to walk around. but come freaking on! it's not like people are *supposed* to walk through here. the way around my lab bench is the "this way is safe, walk in the designated area" pathway.

and then? then?!? people look at me as though I'm inconveniencing them when I almost bump into them because I back out of the hood. it's not like I can hear them or anything. it's a big friggin fan inside of a box--hullo?!? plus, they in an area they aren't supposed to be on. like if someone got upset 'cause they got a grass stain when they walked in the grass when "do not walk on grass" signs were clearly posted.

makes me frustrated. a lot. I've even tried to line up my chairs to form a barricade, yet people insist on moving them. man, oh, man. I keep wanting to tell them to walk the eff around, laze bums! but instead I just seethe, as saying something will only manage to get me in trouble, I'm sure.

at least it makes me laugh a little, remembering how on the first day of class Mrs. Benson would move the chairs in her classroom all around so she could observe how people got to the one they wanted--would they move other chairs? push through an area? take the first one they came to? go the long way? hmm, hmm. and grr.

about me

i’m a chemical engineer, artist, kaydee, okie, environmentalist, optimist and word nerd. i rescue spiders from indoors, appreciate compliments, distrust people who aren’t at least a little stubborn, love to laugh and have a tendency to tell awfully punny jokes.